Cyclone disintegrator



Oct. 28, 1952 A. BITTNER 2,615,637-

CYCLONE DISINTEGRATOR Filed Sept. 20, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 28, 1952- A. BITTNER 2,6

CYCLONE DISINI'EGRATOR Filed Sept. 20. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1d; a. JMZJ Oct. 28, 1952 N R 2,615,637

CYCLONE DISINTEGRATOR.

Filed Sept. 20, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lnvenfbr Z224, yzmwzzz f Oct. 28, 1952 A.-BITTNER CYCLONE DISINTEGRATOR Filed Sapt. 20, 1950 Patented Oct. 28, 1952 CYCLONE DISINTEGRATOR Adam Bittner, London, England, assignor to Cyclomat Dominion Corporation Limited, Douglas, Isle of Mam-a company of Isle'of Man Application September 20, 1950, SerialNo. 185,785 In Great Britain November 24, 1949 12 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in or relating to disintegrating apparatus of the kind in which a rotor provided with vanes revolves within a peripheral stator provided with pockets, and in which material fed into the apparatus in discrete particles is thrown by centrifugal force into and is whirled around within the pockets to form eddies, whereby it is disintegrated lby shock,

attrition and inter-particular friction.

it is a disadvantage of known machines of this kind that the power consumption is unduly high.

It has been found according to this invention that the eddies or whirling motion of air and entrained material within the pockets may be modifled to give better disintegration with lower power consumption by the use of guide vanes which are bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend outwards, i. e. away from the rotor axis, the surfaces having an inner'portion, tangential to a'radius drawn from the :rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of the pockets.

Accordingly the present invention provides a disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor rotatable within a peripheral stator, an annular set of pockets in the stator, the pockets being inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of the rotor, and a set of guide vanes mounted on the rotor adjacent its periphery to guide material into the pockets, the vanes being bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend outwards, i. e. away from the rotor axis, the surfaces having an inner portion, tangential to a radius drawn from thejrotor axis,-

in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of the pockets.

The inclination of any part referred to above is to be understood herein as referring to the angle made by that part with a radius drawn from the axis of the rotor.

References herein to disintegrating are to be understood as including any process by which the particle size of the material under treatment is reduced, such as milling, grinding, pulverizing, reducing defibrinati-ng or decorticating. The apparatus of the invention may be used for treating either hard or soft materials, including minerals, ores, stone, coal, cereals and wood pulp. As is later explained, the relationships between the different parts of the apparatus should be chosen according to the nature of the material and the treatment to 'whichit is to be subjected.

Preferably the rear surface of each vane, as it passes outwards, first diverges away from-and then converges towards the front surface.

It will be understood that the front and rear surfaces of the vanes face respectively forwards and rearwards in the direction of rotation of the rotor.

According to a further feature of the present invention a disintegrating apparatus comprises a rotor rotatable within a peripheral stator, an annular set of pockets in the stator, the pockets being inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of the rotor, and a set of guide vanes mounted on the rotor adjacent its periphery to guide material into the pockets, has a stator housing provided with a discharge grid extending over a lower segment of the stator housing peripherally of the rotor, the grid having discharge passages with entry portions all inclined forward in the direction of rotation of the rotor to substantially the same degree and with exit portions all extending substantially vertically downwards.

The discharge grid tends to eliminate eddies in the disintegrated material discharged from the apparatus, and the elimination of such eddies leads to a reduction in the power consumption of the apparatus.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the disintegrating apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a front view on a reduced scale partly broken away,

Fig. 3 is a detail front view showing a segment of the first stator-crown,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a partly-sectioned diagrammatic front view.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the apparatus has a stator housing consisting of front and rear shells I and 2. The rear shell 2 contains a bearing 3 within which a shaft 4 carrying a disc 5 rotates clockwise as viewed in Figure 2. The disc 5 is adjustable along the shaft '4. A hopper 6 serves to introduce material through the upper part of the front shell I, and an extra air inlet 1 provided with regulating means, not shown, is provided in the centre of the front shell I. A flanged supporting ring 8 is interposed 'between the front and rear shells I and 2 and the latter are bolted together. Stator crowns 9 and it are secured to the front and rear sides of the supporting ring 8. The front shell I is suitably shaped to assist material, entering by the hopper 6, topass to the stator crown 9. IfheStator crown 9 is composed of eight separate se ments (Fig. 3) each provided with pockets or recesses I I which are open on three sides, namely on the inner side and to the front and rear. Each pocket II is bounded by a straight entry face I2, a cylindrical portion I3 and a straight exit face I4. Each entry face I2 makes with a radius I5 drawn to it from the centre of the rotor axis an acute angle a larger than the acute angle 12 made by the exit face I3 with a radius I6 drawn from the rotor axis. The segments of the stator crown 9 are provided with apertured lugs II. The segments in the assembled position bear against a bushing I8 (Fig. 4) seated on an internal shoulder of the flanged supporting ring 8. The segments are locked by pins I9 floating in bushes 20 in the apertured lugs II, the pins I9 entering an annular groove 2! formed in the supporting ring 8. The segments of the stator crown 9 are retained by a locking ring 22 which engages over bushes 28 and pins I9 and is releasably secured by set screws 23 to the supporting ring 8. In order to equalise wear on the different segments of the stator crown 9, the screws 23 may from time to time be slackened to enable the stator crown 9 to be turned round a little, whereafter the screws 23 are again tightened up.

The second stator crown In (Figs. 2, 4 and 5) is of a diameter three-quarters of that of the stator crown 9. The stator crown I is made up of a number of segments containing pockets 24 and of a lower segment 25 in the form of a grid, which will be described later. The segments of the second stator crown II) are bolted direct to the rear of the supporting ring 8. The pockets 24 are similar but not identical in configuration with the pockets I I, and are scaled down to some three-quarters the size of the pockets II.

A number of beaters (Fig. is mounted on the front face of the disc 5 intermediate the centre and the periphery. The heaters are in the form of angle plates having vanes 26 normal to the surface of the disc having flanges 21 bolted to the disc. The vanes 26 extend radially of the disc. A plurality of guide vanes are also mounted on the front face of the disc adjacent the periphery and consist of profiled vanes 28 having flanges 29 bolted to the disc. The front face of a vane 28 is constituted by a surface which initially extends radially from the axis of the rotor, then extends outwards substantially tangential to a radius drawn from the rotor axis and finally changes direction in a smooth curve to end in an outer portion which is inclined at substantially the same angle to a radius drawn from the rotor axis as is the entry face I2 of a pocket I I. The front face is normal to the plane of the disc.

The rear face of a vane 28 consists of an inner portion, tangential to a radius drawn from the rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion which is also inclined to a radius drawn from the rotor axis at substantially the same angle as is the entry face I2 of the pocket II. As may be seen the rear surface of a vane first diverges away from and then converges towards the front surface. The inner portion of the rear surface of a vane is in the form of a parabolic curve. The rear surface may be either normal or inclined to the plane of the rotor disc.

The rear face of the disc 5 is provided adjacent its periphery with profiled guide vanes 30 having a flange 3| bolted to the disc. The rear surface of the guide vane 30 is similar in profile to the rear surface of the guide vane 28 but is scaled down to three-quarter size. The front face of the guide vanes 38 is plane and is inclined to a radius drawn from the rotor axis of the same angle as is the entry face of the pockets 24.

The segmental grid 25 is provided with passages in the form of slots extending across the width of the grid. Each slot or passage has an entry portion 32, each entry portion making the same angle with a radius drawn to it from the centre of the rotor axis. The passages have exit portions 33 which are all parallel to one another and extend vertically downwards.

Up-take conduits 34 lead upwards from the rear shell 2 and are provided with filters, not shown.

In operation, material is fed in through the hopper 6 and undergoes preliminary crushing or disintegration by the beater vanes 26 and is then directed by the guide vanes 28 into the pockets I I, entering the pockets substantially parallel to the entry faces I2. The guide vanes 28, sweeping rapidly past the pockets I I, produce eddies in the pockets I I and disintegration of material proceeds in these pockets. The shape of the rear faces of the guide vanes 28 reduces the tendency for uncontrolled eddies to form outside the pockets, and thus reduces the power consumption. From the pockets I l the material finds its way through the gap between the disc 5 and the bushing l8 into the pockets 24 of the second stator crown III. Eddies produced in these pockets by the action of the guide vanes 30 disintegrate the material further, and finely disintegrated material escapes upwards through the uptake conduits 34. Less finely disintegrated material is directed downwards by the rear wall of the stator housing, which is suitably shaped for the purpose, towards the grid 25. The material passes through the grid and emerges from the exit portions 33 thereof in parallel streams, and may then be subjected to further segregation.

Provision is made for varying the numbers, dimensions and relative dispositions of the various parts of the machine, and also the conditions of operation, to suit different materials under treatment. The effects which may be produced by such variations are discussed below:

The speed of revolution of the rotor may be varied. It has been found that an increase in speed of the rotor, all other things being equal, produces:

(a) An increase of pressure in the stator hous- (1)) An increase in the peripheral speed of the eddies within the pockets,

(0) An increase in power consumption.

The number of guide vanes 28 and 30 may be varied, for example by bolting additional vanes 28 and 38 to the disc 5 and it has been found that an increase in the number of guide vanes, all other things being equal, produces:

(a) An increase in the quantity of air drawn into the housing,

(b) An increase in the speed with which the eddies in the pockets I I move axially of the rotor, (0) An increase in the power consumption.

The number of pockets I I and 24 may be varied, by exchanging the segmented crowns 9 and I I] for crowns containing different numbers of pockets. An increase in the number of pockets in a crown, the total volume of the pockets remaining the same and all other things. being equal, produces:

(a) An increase in the number of eddies,

(b) An increase in the power consumption.

The inclination of the pockets may be varied by exchange-oi theorownsflnnd l0,;and1,t hasbeen round;thataaniincrease xin theinclinatiomnfth pockets-in the; direction of rotation: of ,LthQI TOEQ Z: produces: 1',

(a); A change. in theiormaof the ,eddies;=:.-.:. 5

(b). 'Anincreasein the peripheral speedwf thew. eddies,

(clf 'A reductionrin the ispeediwithiwhich thewdies: move axially: of the rotor,

(d) =Anincrease in the power consumptiono:

The i spacingnhetweeni the'rotor (11505 :5. and;.the second stator crown; Inmay beyariedgby adiust,-; ing -the rotor disc '5' axially alongntheishafiti :A reduction in this spacing produces-n (a) A reductionin the.speedwithwhichztheled: .1 dies t-ravel: -through:thepockets 5: parallel to the; a aXi -ofthe rotor,

(b)' Diminution in :the pressure ;at ;.the; outlets: from the stator housing.

(0) An increase of :the peripheralspeedof the: eddies in the'pockets l I, 1

(d) 'An increasein the power consumption-.:

The numbernof vpassagesin the grid imaynber varied by exchanging the grid and .it hasbeenw found that'an increasednumber 10f passages pro; :25 ducesz (a) Anincrease ofpressure at the" outletzfrom the stator housing,

(b) A reductionin the speed with which the ed: dies move through. the pocketsx parallel tothe ,30 axis of the rotor,

(c) An increase in the-peripheral velocity of the eddies,

(d) An' increase in the-power consumption.

The free surfaces of thefilters, notshown; positioned in the up-takeconduits -34; may .be' varied by exchange of these filters. A reduction :in the; freesurfaces of the filter produces I (a) *Anincrease otthe pressure-in the housing: and consequently-an increase in pressure at the outlet from the-machine,-

(b) v -A reduction in the-speedwith which sliceddies move through V the pockets parallel to the rotor axis,

(c) An increase in theperipheral velocity of the" eddies,

(d) "Anincrease-in the powerconsumption.

Variations which produce an-increase-in the peripheral velocity of the eddies and which at thesametime-reduce the speed with which the eddiesmove parallel to the rotor axis, (with corresponding-increase in the power consumption) give a finer-reduction-ofthe materialsince the material under-treatment-remains for a longer time under theinfluence of the eddies formed in the pockets.

An increase in the peripheral 'velocityof theeddies "is always associated with an increase in the power consumption.

Experiments have shown that for any group of materials under treatment which behave substantially similarly during their disintegrationby 1 the eddies, a given fineness can be obtainedbysuitable variations of the working elements of the machine, but that there is always a given set of variables which give most favourable disinte gration for material of this group, with a conse-- quent minimum power consumption.

The number of vanes 28 idependsonthe num-- ber of pockets I i in the-crownS and-on-thefine- 7o ness to which it is desired to grind the-material The number of vanes may amountto-one-sixth; to one-twelfth of the total number of pockets The length of the rear surface of a vane 28, pro-'- jectedonto the circumference of the disc, should 75 6 prete ab y be three .timostheAeneth-QI the mo ketl I pr iectedxonto the same. circumference The width of a vane 28 measuredmaralleljto the rotor, axis.- depends. upon; .the depth, or the sp oket ill; a1so..;measured:-parallel: .t -st fi rotor;

axishand the spacing-between the disc, 5 and the: second: stator crown, J0. The sumof the. two lat-l, teradimensions should; be less, preferably; some 15%aless, thanthewidth, of a'vane 28 Therguidevanes may :be cast orbent to shapew andrare mounted f r. ready'exchane wh n worn. out so as to limit the expenditureonspecial steel. 7

For; a primary disintegration, where 1 the throughput, is more important than the fineness, Of ,llhfl'; disintegrated,,, material, the rear :surface of theivanes may beer a simpleformgsimilar;to that of the frontsurface. The speed of rotation of the machine for a primary disintegration, is limited;and-;the existence of uncontrolled eddies is thenof limited effectonly on thepower con-;- sumption; The, other conditions should be as above stated The first statortcrownmay contain some 30 to pooketstandthe; depth of the crown and the pockets -..meas11r.ed laxiallymay be: from one-V. fifteenth-atezonertenth of the-diameter of ythezu diSCJ5;

Asa already stated the: pockets consist; of; an; entry. .face, a cylindrical portion and an-exit ,-face.-, In general theadiameter of the cylindrical; port-ion; should be;increased :When;

(a), :..Th e'-,material is, to .;be i less ,1 finely; disinter grated,

(b) 'Thelmaterial under treatmentis easilyidis-l, 1 inte rated, ;e.ven;.by weak eddies;

(c) Theamaterial under treatment: is to be I clefibrinated, .or decorticatemmor (03) The material under. treatmentincreasesin volume 0n ',diSin 6- ';a tiQD Anli fi i asfi d am t r wi lie erallvg ea e-3:. ciatedlwithzdecrease,-in .:;t e"a e; e Yof i a on:' of the entry:andve it;fa es-;rs

Inord nt p u e-mor v entzi sz av ns:1t a greater peripheralsspeed and a -sma l l e speed .of'movement parallelwtothe rotor, axis forthe' purposeuof obtaining" finer disintegration, -thea. diameter; of, the; cylindrical; portion is ,reduced J whilst the angles of inclinationof the entryand exit faces are increased,

The internaldiameterof .theifirst stator crown should alwayabe greater thanthe externahdia eter oft ezo sci I Th diam ter; of the oyli r ca n r of anooket z-tzof thejSQCOXld; stator crown-l3 and-the angles of V inclination; of its. entry and exit 121C855 shouldibe greatenthanjhose 0151a pocket ll of the first; tor crownfi, e --in erna1- ame f 1 5 61 ond-stator orown -18 should; always be ;s mall,er-- ha ternal diamet rrof hediso-l I The guide yanesfiil cooperating-withthe DOCK-,3 ets; of thersecond statorerown ,l il-ishould; be inelined at a greater angle than the guide wanes- 28which co-operate with the pockets l I of the firstq stator ,crown 9. The front faces' of v the guide; vanes iii) may either be similar in contour to the: front faces of the guides vanes 28 1 ormay, beplane.,

The width of the van es.,36, measured parallel to gthe roton-axis, should always; be greater than the; sum -,of the width of thesecond stator crown I0, andlztghei spacing between therotor disc 5 and theisecond stator crown l0.

Theangle of inelination'ofithe entry portion of a di char e sp ssaeefij inthere idtfi d pends. on;

, the: summation: of theentryzfece iofs esnqe setsr 24 of the second stator crown l and should preferably be within or -15 of this angle.

What I claim is:

1. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor; a peripheral stator, within which said rotor can rotate, having an annular set of pockets inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor; and a set of vanes for guiding material to be disintegrated into said pockets which vanes are mounted on said rotor adjacent the periphery thereof and are bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend away from the axis of said rotor and have inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn. from the rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of said pockets.

2. A disintegrating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising guide vanes the rear surface of each of which, as it extends away from said rotor axis, first diverges away from and then converges towards the front surface.

3. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor; a peripheral stator Within which said rotor can rotate, said stator having an annular set of pockets which are inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor and have entry faces which are inclined at a greater angle than the exit faces; and, mounted on said rotor adjacent the periphery thereof, guide vanes bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend outwards away from the axis of said rotor, said surfaces having inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn from said rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as said entry faces.

4. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor; a peripheral stator Within which said rotor can rotate, said stator having a first annular set of pockets which are inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor and have entry faces inclined at a greater angle than the exit faces, and a second annular set of similarly shaped pockets displaced axially of said rotor behind said first set; and, mounted on said rotor. a first set of guide vanes co-operating with said first set of pockets and bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend away from the axis of said rotor, said surfaces having inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn from said rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as said entry faces, and a second set of guide vanes cooperating with said second set of pockets, at least the outer part of said second set of guide vanes being inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of said second set of pockets.

5. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor; a peripheral stator within which said rotor can rotate, said stator having a first annular set of pockets which are inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor and have entry faces inclined at a greater angle than the exit faces, and a second annular set of similarly shaped pockets displaced axially of said rotor behind said first set; and, mounted on said rotor, a first set of guide vanes co-operating with said first set of pockets and bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend away from the axis of said rotor, said surfaces having inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn from said rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as said entry faces, and a second set of guide vanes of a similar shape to the first set co-operating with said second set of pockets.

6. A disintegrating apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the front surfaces of said second set of guide vanes are at least partially plane.

7. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor disc; a stator supporting ring; a first stator crown mounted on one side of said ring and provided with a first annular set of pockets which are inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said disc and have entry faces inclined at a greater angle than the exit faces; a second stator crown mounted on the opposite side of said ring which stator crown has an internal diameter less than that of said first stator crown and of said disc and is provided with a second annular set of pockets similar in shape to said first set; and a set of guide vanes carried on each side of said disc each one of which sets of vanes serves to guide material to be disintegrated into one of said sets of pockets, said guide vanes being bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend away from the axis of said rotor, said surfaces having inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn from the axis of said disc, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of said pockets.

8. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a stator housing; a shaft journalled in said housing; a rotor disc mounted on said shaft and adjustable along it; a stator supporting ring; a first stator crown exchangeably secured to one side of said ring with respect to which it can be angularly adjusted about its own axis, said stator crown having a first annular set of pockets which are inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said disc and have entry faces inclined at a greater angle than the exit faces; a second stator crown exchangeably secured to the other side of said ring and having a second annular set of pockets similar in shape to said first set; and a set of guide vanes carried on each side of said disc each one of which sets of vanes serves to guide material to be disintegrated into one of said sets of pockets, said guide vanes being bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend away from the axis of said rotor, said surfaces having inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn from the axis of said disc, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of said pockets.

9. A disintegratin apparatus comprising a housing; a rotor; a peripheral stator within which said rotor can rotate which stator is provided with an annular set of pockets which are in.- clined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor; vanes mounted on said rotor adjacent to the periphery thereof for guiding material into said pockets; and a discharge grid extending over a lower segment of said housing peripherally of said rotor and provided with discharge passages having entry portions, all of which are inclined forward to substantially the same degree in the direction of said rotor, and exit pertions all of which extend substantially vertically downwards.

10. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a housing the front wall of which is provided with an air inlet and an opening for the entry of material to be disintegrated; a rotor; at peripheral stator having an annular set of pockets which are inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor; vanes mounted on said rotor adjacent the periphery thereof for guiding said material into said pockets; and, extendin peripherally of a lower portion of said rotor, a discharge grid to which disintegrated material is guided by the rear wall of said housing and which is provided with discharge passages having entry portions, all of which are inclined forwards to substantially the same degree in the direction of rotation of said rotor, and exit portions all of which extend substantially vertically downwards.

11. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a housing having in its front wall an air inlet and an opening for the entry of material to be disintegrated; a rotor; a peripheral stator annularly disposed on which is a set of pockets inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor; vanes mounted on said rotor for guiding said material into said pockets which vanes are bounded front and rear by surfaces which change direction as they extend away from the axis of said rotor and have inner portions, substantially tangential to radii drawn from said rotor axis, merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same direction as the entry faces of said pockets; and, extending over a lower segment of said housing peripherally of said rotor; a grid through which disintegrated material can be discharged said grid :bein provided with discharge passages having entry portions, all of which are inclined forwards to substantially the same degree in the direction of rotation of said rotor, and exit portions all of which extend downwards in a substantially vertlcal direction; and uptake conduits leading out of said housing above said grid for the discharge of material disintegrated to a finer degree than the material discharge through the grid.

12. A disintegrating apparatus comprising a rotor; a peripheral stator, within which said rotor can rotate, having an annular set of pockets inclined forwards in the direction of rotation of said rotor; and a set of vanes for guiding material to be disintegrated into said pockets which vanes are mounted on said rotor adjacent the periphery thereof and are each bounded at the front by a surface which initially extends radially of the axis of the rotor, then extends outwards substantially tangential to a radius drawn from said rotor axis finally merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as the entry faces of said pockets, and at the rear by a surface which has an inner portion substantially tangential to a radius drawn from said rotor axis merging in a smooth curve with an outer portion inclined at substantially the same angle as said entry faces of said pockets.

ADAM BITTNE-R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,777,205 Kutaszewicz Sept. 30, 1930 1,963,204 Kutaszewicz June 19, 1934 2,207,194 Gruendler July 9, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 546,309 Germany Mar. 11, 1932 842,939 France Mar. 13, 1939 

